In the Midst of It All
by Faerie82
Summary: What will happen as college graduation nears? Will all thoughts and hopes of these old high school friends lead everyone back to Tree Hill or will college tear them all apart forever?


Haley inhaled deeply as she lovingly stroked her young son's hair. James looked up at her from his bed with his dark chestnut eyes. A soft whimper escaped his lips. Haley gently brought her lips to his warm forehead. She closed her eyes as the warmth from her son's forehead burned at her lips. "Shh," she whispered, "you'll feel better once you get some sleep. Mommy's right here." Haley smiled as she watched her son attempt to fight away the sleep that attacked his eyelids and made them too heavy to hold open any longer. Haley hummed a lullaby to lull him into sleep. Haley rested her eyes as she lay by her ill son and awoke to the aroma of coffee arising from the kitchen.

Nathan looked toward the stairway as he heard two sets of footsteps slowly trudge down the stairs. From the kitchen table he noticed the rosy cheeks of his son and the darkened eyelids of his wife. He softly chuckled over his cup of coffee as Haley made her way to the coffee pot and filled a large mug to the top. "Get much sleep?" he mocked with a grin.

Haley shot her husband an evil glare and a half sarcastic smile. "I got a few hours of sleep. We seriously need to invest in a bigger bed for James. I don't know how many more sick nights I can sleep along side him in that teeny toddler bed. I don't even know how he can sleep in that bed every night."

A look of concern covered the playfulness in Nathan's eyes, "Don't you have your last three finals today, Hales?"

"Yeah," she retorted with a playful shrug, "but I've passed tests with less sleep than this. In fact, I bet I could pass them even if I fell asleep in the middle."

Nathan came up behind his wife and wrapped his arms around her waist. Haley smiled at his touch, until he began to tickle her. Haley fell to the ground in a fit of giggles.

"So, you want to be Miss Smarty-pants, do you?" Nathan asked, smiling, "Try to get out of this in your sleep."

Haley rolled from her side onto her back and attempted to pull herself up using her husband's neck. Nathan took advantage of his wife's now very vulnerable position and began tickling her under the arms. Haley immediately gave in and fell to the floor. "Stop," she managed to get out in between breaths and giggles.

"What's the magic word?" Nathan taunted.

"UNCLE!" Haley screamed in a fit of laughter.

Nathan immediately halted the tickle war and leaned down to kiss Haley. Her cheeks were rosy from laughter and her hair was tousled.

"Eww!"

Nathan and Haley looked up as James' voice cut into their kiss. They both chuckled at their son's honesty. Nathan leaned down and kissed his wife again.

"Come on, kids, isn't it a little early for that kind of play?"

They both looked up to see Deb's eyes sparkling as she smiled down at them from their kitchen door.

"GRANDMA!" yelled James, running into his grandma's embrace.

Nathan got to his feet, and then held out his hand to help Haley up as well. "Good morning, Mom," they said in unison, both smiling at the woman standing in their kitchen; embracing their son.

Deb Scott had come a long way from the woman who was so out of control of her own life only six short years before. She had moved to be near Haley and Nathan two weeks after they had left the mansion. Deb couldn't handle the vast emptiness of the house all alone. Instead of slipping back to pills, she bought a duplex close to Nathan and Haley's school so she could take care of James and they could get through college without worrying about daycare expenses. She lived on one side of the duplex and gave the other side to Nathan, Haley, and James. She told them to worry about their education and son; she would do the rest.

Haley appreciated the generosity of her mother-in-law and had grown to love Deb as she loved her own mother. She loved being able to come home after school and have time with her family instead of worrying about working so there would be food on the table and a roof over their heads. She had no idea how she would ever repay Deb for all that she had given her and her family, but she knew she would think of something.

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My first attempt at a fanfic. Let me know what you think, please.


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